Nagaland police busts ammo trade run by its own personnel

Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 7

The Nagaland Police have busted an illegal ammunitions trade allegedly run by its own personnel. On July 5, two uniformed personnel were arrested from two separate locations and recovered some 240 rounds of ammunition.

According to police sources, a police constable was intercepted by the Kohima police with 200 rounds of 7.62 mm calibre bullets in Kidima village, Kohima. This further led to the arrest of a havildar of the Phek DEF the same day in Phek during which 40 more rounds of assorted calibre were recovered by the Phek police. The constable was also of the Phek DEF but attached to the Police Commissionerate, Dimapur. 

The sources revealed that the constable sourced/acquired the ammunition from the havildar in Phek and was in transit headed to an undisclosed location reportedly to dispose the bullets for a price. 

The Police Headquarters confirmed the incident occurring, while informing that investigation was on. The Morung Express was informed that a case has been registered under the relevant sections of the law against the two arrested personnel, who will also face departmental disciplinary proceedings.  

Information was vague on the suspected origin of the seized ammunition but the sources pointed to the police armoury as a probable source though not directly. As per the initial reports, the captured ammunition could be an accumulation of bullets siphoned during police firing practice. 

Queried how it works, one of the sources said that a predetermined quota of rounds is allocated to all units or every personnel during firing practice. Some of the allocated quota ends up not getting fired but accounted as discharged to be siphoned and sold in the illegal arms market.